Beach bridge construction to start in April

Eron Ben-Yehuda

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The city will have a new landmark soon with a bridge

that is scheduled to be built over Pacific Coast Highway in the South

Beach area.

“When you say Huntington Beach at the overpass, everyone will know what

you’re talking about,” said Ron Hagan, the city’s community services

director.

Construction of the $1.8-million bridge is expected to begin in April,

said Waterfront chief executive Steve Bone, who also is president of the

Robert Mayer Corp., which will fund the project. It aims to serve the new

influx of visitors expected to flock to the expansion of the Waterfront

Hilton, which will include two new hotels, a 100,000-square-foot

conference center, and a 35,000-square-foot retail and restaurant

complex, Hagan said.

The overpass, which will be built in the area between lifeguard towers

No. 13 and No. 15, is a favorable alternative to a stop light, because

traffic flow will not be impeded and pedestrians will not have to risk

crossing the busy thoroughfare to reach the beach, Hagan said. As a side

benefit, city officials hope people who frequent the hotel’s future shops

and restaurants at night will park in nearby beach lots that are now

generating little revenue after sunset, he said.

The bridge could be completed as early as summer 2001, about the same

time one of the new hotels is expected to open, Hagan said.

People who used the bicycle and pedestrian trail along South Beach last

week generally supported the project, as long as it’s aesthetically

pleasing.

“It’s all in the design,” said Lou Corella, 62. “It’s got to blend right

in.”

Bone described the bridge design as complementing the Andalusian

architecture of the Hilton expansion. On the beach side, the bridge will

be anchored by an elevator and a stairway in the shape of a lighthouse,

he said.

“I think people will be pleasantly shocked at the level of quality and

detail,” he said.

But Bill Thompson, 46, who was riding his bicycle down the coast, said he

will miss the simple beauty that exists along South Beach.

“It’s just a shame that development takes over the natural landscape,” he

said.

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